Read our white paper on the importance of maintaining a clean data center, computer room, IDF , MDF.

1. DATA CENTER MAINTENANCE
IT OPERATIONS
Why, What & When To Clean The Data Center
Author: Bill Montgomery
Date: November 2010
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.

2. Introduction:
The service of data center cleaning has been a major focus of late for data
centers, service companies and end users. This renewed focus on cleaning
services is prompted by ASHRAE and manufacturers such as IBM, Dell and
HP. None of these well-respected entities would recommend that the service
be performed in-house.
Prior to starting Premier Solutions Co. in 1997, I spent 12 years in data centers
selling disaster recovery, storage of data via media and data back-up solutions.
I continually noticed loose dirt and dust ( particulate) was evident in over 90%
of my client base.
Thus, our service called, Data Center Maintenance (DCM) and Premier
Solutions Co. was formed. To date, we have cleaned over ten million square
feet of data center flooring, over one hundred thousand server cabinets and
over one million servers and systems.
Our service began with little direction from the industry. Very few firms were
specializing in offering data center maintenance. We used our knowledge from
years of selling IT infrastructure solutions such as UPS, enclosures, KVM
switching and power and cooling products to erect a service geared towards
protection of the environment and the equipment housed within. We also
consulted with tile manufactures on which solutions to use to clean raised
flooring.
Many times, the frequency of service was based solely on the client’s budget
and/or lack of knowledge about the effect particulates can have on the data
center, IDF, MDF and lab.
For most IT Budgets, 4% is set aside for maintenance within a predictable cost
structure and OPEX. The cost of a preventative maintenance program is a
fraction of your IT budget and the cost of physical equipment
As IT equipment shrinks in size, resulting in smaller components and less
physical space between them, the risk of contamination grows. Increased heat
loads per unit volume of air necessitates the need for more airflow, thus,
increasing the exposure of electronics to detrimental effects of accumulated
dust.
–ASHRAE 2009
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.

3. Frequency of Service Recommendations:
• HP recommends weekly dry mop and monthly damp mop
• SUN recommends quarterly floor surface and hardware
decontamination
In today’s high-density, virtualized centers, it is extremely important to keep the
facility within “clean specifications” at all times. To achieve this, it may be
required to have a top floor service done monthly, especially for sites located
near freeways. High-traffic areas emit more carbon that will inevitably enter the
Inside An IBM Server
data center.
Service Minimum Recommended Frequency
Top floor cleaning Once Quarterly
Sub-floor service Once or Twice Annually
Hardware and servers Twice Annually
Why Clean Servers?
Particulates move at high velocity into the intake of the servers. A low
percentage of these particulates make it out of the server vent. Cleaning the
faceplate and rear or side vent of the server should occur two to three times
annually.
Contaminants And Particulates
It’s important to identify the types of contaminates and particulates in the data
center because “cause-effect” solutions are required to keep the OPS running
99.9999%. Many contaminates become corrosive due to the humidity in the
room. We recommend that data center managers adhere at all times, not just
after cleaning, to Ashrae TC9.9 recommendations of ISO14464-1 class 8
specifications. This can be accomplished via proper and frequent filtering of the
room.
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.

4. A Particulate:
• Has the ability to damage equipment intermittently or permanently
• Has the ability to migrate to areas inside of equipment that can cause
damage
• Accumulate in large abundance and work their way into the entire
room due to the recycling of air
• Can be one of four types, metallic, carbon, construction or corrosive.
____________________________________________________________
Metallic Particulates
Cause: Worn HVAC parts, electrical work, worn raised floor
Effect: The conductive properties are damaging to servers.
____________________________________________________________
Carbon Particulates
Cause: Outside carbon from autos, printers or paper dust
Effect: Humidity in the data center transforms the carbon particulate into a
conductive material which is damaging to servers. Carbon
particulates can also be found in ceilings due to return airflow.
____________________________________________________________
Construction Particulates
Cause: Sheet rock, unsealed sub floor, cement
Effect: Abrasive material that travels at high rates of speed via recycled
airflow.
** Progressive cleaning thru the stages of construction are recommended
____________________________________________________________
Corrosive Particulates
Cause: High humidity, water leakage, poor cleaning techniques
Effect: Corrosives that make their way into servers are metallic and
abrasive.
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.

5. Common Fallacies:
• Use of “proprietary” cleaning solutions
• Use of “Specially formulated products”
• ISO compliant
• Using water to clean sub-floor (water and 480V don’t mix)
• Keep water source off of the computer room floor
• Cable cutouts in server cabinets used to cool the cabinet
Improper Sub‐Floor Cleaning: Creating • Floor tiles stripped and waxed
Bypass Air Flow • Improper sub-floor process
Caring For The Data Center
• Utilize clean step-mats at doorways
• Clean CRAC unit filters
• Use particle testing as a gauge of environment condition
• Close off server cabinet cut outs
• Have delaminated or trip tiles replaced
• Place perforated tiles in cold aisle/front of cabinet
• Inspect water cooling units regularly
Improper Top‐Floor Cleaning: Intro Of
Water On Raised Floor • Disallow cardboard and pallets in center
• Removal and repair of sub floor corrosives
• Clean cabinets and hardware twice annually. Dust can create an
“insulative layer” that will lead to heat related failures
• Clean sub floor twice annually
Why Clean Ceiling tiles?
For the data center using re-circulating air, the contaminates within the ceiling
plenum make their way into the intake of the CRAC/HVAC in a short period of
time and at a high velocity. Gauge the type of particulate captured in the HVAC
filter and the duration of filter life to determine the needs for your ceiling.
Summary
We all know that data centers accumulate loose particulates. We know they
travel through the center and make their way into the servers. Now more than
ever, detailed due diligence is required. A regularly scheduled service with
parameters in place and the identification of particulates will allow your data
center to stay in optional health.
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.

6. This document is copyright © 2010 Premier Solutions Co. No part of this
publication may be reproduced by any method whatsoever without the prior
consent of Premier Solutions Co.
Due to the nature of this material, numerous hardware and software products
have been mentioned by name. In the majority, if not all, of the cases, these
product names are claimed as trademarks by the companies that manufacture
the products. It is not Premier Solutions Co.’s intent to claim these names or
trademarks as our own. Likewise, company logos, graphics or screen shots
have been reproduced with the consent of the owner and are subject to that
owner’s copyright.
Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this document to ensure
that the information is correct, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for
any errors or omissions.
©2010 Premier Solutions Co.